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Lunch at Antico Restaurant & Bar

Bermondsey Street. Located just a few minutes from London Bridge Station and The Shard.

Not usually our hangout area but that weekend, we fancied trying something local and as we were walking up towards Bermondsey Square, we ended up in Antico Restaurant & Bar.

As we walked into the restaurant, we were warmly welcomed by the hostess who seated us in the very bright dining room with very rustic decor and very large windows. I loved it! The room also had a few pots of lavender by the windows which looked surprisingly real! (they were plastic!) hehe.

Nevertheless, it made the room pretty!

As we were handed the menu, they had a great Set Menu Lunch which was perfect for us to try out a few of their specialities. We learn that the Chefs used to work at Theo Randall, an amazing Italian place on Park Lane, and that their passion was for traditional Italian flavours (more specifically from Tuscany) which they automatically transfer on their dishes.

As a starter, we decided to share the Antipasti Board. The trio of colours on the board were all really yummy. The Focaccia bread was really soft and tasty, the selection of meat were of good quality as well and I really enjoyed the Olives! I wish they gave more focaccia bread!! :)

Antipasti Board - Selection of Cured Meats, Olives and Focaccia

Then came our Mains. I chose to have the Pan-Roasted Hake, Capers, Cavolo Nero and Lemon Butter while Mr. Hubby had the 'favourite of the menu' as recommended by our waitress, the Slow roasted Pork Shoulder Tortelloni with Sage Butter.

Beautifully presented Tortelloni with sage butter and parmesan

Both dishes were absolutely fantastic!

The Tortelloni had an amazing flavour and the pasta was just perfect. Not too thick, not too thin. Perfectly cooked with just the right texture to go with the slow roast pork shoulder filling and the sage flavoured melted butter ... it was almost heavenly! :p

Just needed some freshly ground pepper on top to add that last bit of Ooumpfhh!!

Pan - Roasted Hake with capers

My fish was also very good. A crispy layer on top but still very soft on the inside, covered with capers and much more than a drizzle of lemon butter! I am not to complain as I love butter!

Wasn't too sure what the Cavolo Nero was but at that time I thought it was just the Italian name for Kale but when I 'googled' it later, it was from the Kale family but just a different type which is popular in Tuscany. I do love my veg so enjoyed that too!

As we finished our mains, we were very hesitant to go for dessert but as we were enjoying such a comfortable setting, we said 'why not!' ...

Pot of Chocolate mousse with a sprinkle of seasalt

Traditional Lemon Tart with Mascarpone

While the Chocolate pot was a bit too much, the Lemon Tart however was very 'lemony' and tasted really nice! Felt like a homemade dessert which had lots of flavour and just the right amount of sugar!

What a Great Treat this was!

My. Hubby and I left very satisfied and happy and definitely will be going back.

(Please note that this restaurant can get very busy in the evenings so best to book in advance! We tried going there few evenings after work but always always buzzing and difficult to get a table. So it is more advisable to go for a Weekend lunch! )